Missing the Newlyweds

Because the Newlyweds are on their way to Baltimore where they

will spend the next two years (at least).

Because the wedding photographer won't have proofs to us for

two more weeks (at least).

Because I'm missing Dani and Kelly so much

I was just looking at photos and decided to add a few more to my blog.

D-Day

June 6 is historically known as D-Day marking the beginning of the landings in Normandy during World War II. June 6, 2009, 65 years after the original D-Day, we had another D-Day for Kelly's and Dani's wedding.

We were blessed with clear weather for D-Day 2009. The rain we had been experiencing all week and which picked up again the next day, took a break and allowed us one dry day. We were also blessed to have all of our family here for the big occasion. My two brothers, their children, my mother and Aunt Sharon were able to be with us. Both of Rob's sisters, one brother and their families along with his mother were there. We are certain both of our dads were with us in the temple too.

So D-Day takes on additional meaning when we consider 'D'ani's big 'D'ay being 'D'ry and surrounded by 'D'ear ones here and 'D'eparted.

We felt so much love and support from the many friends and family who came to the wedding and reception. Thank you everyone for making our D-Day downright 'D'elightful!

DANI AND KELLY

Today I was feeling rather melancholy as I drove home from work. You know that feeling you have when you realize the world as you've known it is about to take giant shift? Well, that is what I was experiencing this evening. I was listening to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack as I headed home on northbound I15. It is Dani's CD and her favorite movie so that definitely played into the picture. I was also thinking about Dani and Kelly who were at that moment entering the Salt Lake Temple to go through a session. The thought struck me hard that in just a few days those two people won't be hanging around the house anymore. What a void it will leave in my life when we no longer have Dani and Kelly sitting on any of our four couches or the porch, missing their help making dinner or setting & clearing the table, to not see them holding hands and looking so happy all the time. To not have stacks of wedding gifts in various places, the little piles of partially-written thank you notes or half-packed boxes of miscellaneous items sitting around in many rooms. How much I will miss Dani's little blue car parked out front getting all water-spotted from the sprinklers. How odd to not have Kelly's car parked the wrong direction in front of the mailbox risking another note from the mailman. No wonder I'm feeling slightly blue; without those two young people around we're bound to feel a loss. The summer of '09 will seem a little less bright and green when Kelly and Dani Ahern move off to Baltimore, MD. Our days will be a little less light and our minds will carry a little more worry to bed each night. We'll miss you two more than you can know!

Graduation (again)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 was Robert Bryan Crouch's graduation from Weber High School. It was the third graduation ceremony our family has participated in this month and Bryan thought it was 'no big deal'. Bryan played his trumpet with the Jazz Band at the beginning of the ceremony. They sounded great and it made me melancholy because it was the last time he will play in a high school band. We've been to so many band concerts over the years and now we are done with that (Cami absolutely refuses to march or play in a band and has given up her violin so we won't even get orchestra concerts).

Bry with the Jazz Band (his cap and gown are on the floor by his feet)

Rob and I arrived at the Dee Events Center at Weber State University an hour before the graduation started so we could get good seats. We sat on the first row at a good angle to watch the Jazz Band on the stage, so we were confident we would have a good view of the entire program. But of course when the graduates came in, Bryan was on the opposite side of the building so we didn't get any good photos of him 'walking' in his cap and gown. We did get a couple of photos his cute girlfriend, Larissa and some of other friends and ward members who walked on our side of the building.


Larissa waiting to receive her diploma

When we finally found Bryan after the ceremony we were all hungry and tired and ready to sit down and eat. Bryan's choice for dinner was Cafe Rio, so we all drove our separate cars and met for Mexican food.

The remainder of the evening we celebrated
graduation at our house by hanging all the tassels and displaying all the diplomas on the baker's rack (a graduation tradition at our house) We all admired Rob's huge tassel from the class of 1975. Rob claims the following year was the 'great fringe shortage' due the size of Los Gatos High School class of '75 tassels. He also claims there were many injuries that year in Northern California due to the heavy tassels damaging neck muscles of graduates and breaking rear-view mirrors off of windshields.

Kelly, Dani, The Grad & Cami at WSU

Bryan and Larissa spent the rest of their evening with friends celebrating their freedom from school work for a couple of months. In August Larissa is heading to USU in Logan and Bryan will be attending the U or U in Salt Lake. I think they are going to miss high school...and each other.

Bridals

On Wednesday, May 5th Dani, Cami, and I met up with Marjean Jolley, our favorite neighborhood and ward photographer and Cindy Ahern, Dani's future mother-in-law at an old church house on Jefferson Ave. in Ogden. Dani was decked out in her new wedding dress and we had so much fun posing her and watching Marjean work magic with her camera. I'm including just a few of the hundred or so photos Marjean took that beautiful May evening.

Graduations

Saturday, May 2, 2009 marked a huge accomplishment for Kevin James and Danielle Marie Crouch. Our two oldest children are university graduates!

We've known for two years that Kevin and Dani were going to graduate on the exact same day and time at opposite ends of the state so we've had time to come to terms with Rob and Bryan driving south and Cami and I heading north to attend the ceremonies.





It was a rainy, gray day in Logan, but the sun was shining in my heart as I watched my oldest child accept his diploma for four years of hard work. Rob had a similar experience in Cedar City with our second child (except without the rain and with all the umbrellas we own in his car).

Now both Kevin and Dani are moving forward with their plans to obtain their Master's Degrees, Kevin at USU in Logan, UT and Dani at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. Hopefully those graduation dates will be spaced far enough apart for us to attend as a family.

This and That

It has been a week since I posted to my blog. I thought I should update it about the goings on here at our house.

Dani and Kelly are moving forward with the wedding plans. The Logan Temple is scheduled, the dress and flowers are purchased, the reception spot is booked, the engagement photos were taken this week, Kelly gave Dani a ring last Friday night and she bought a band for him this week. We decided on refreshments for the reception and have rented some cast iron accessories for decoration, Dani and Kelly picked out a cake, Dani's bridal photos are scheduled for May 5th and a wedding shower is planned for May 30th (thank you Margie!). Soooo...what should we be working on next? I feel so unprepared to be helping my daughter plan a wedding. I'm sure we have left out some major project that should have been done by this point, so any suggestions anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated.

It has been a little tough thinking about the wedding when we are doing the missionary report tomorrow. Kelly is speaking twice: in the 2nd Ward at 1:00 p.m.(the ward which sent him off) and in the 8th Ward at 9:00 a.m. (the ward he came home to). We are having a brunch at our house between the two meetings so I've been making sweet rolls today and purchased a strawberries, melons, pineapple, bananas, yogurt, muffins, bagels, juice, etc. It will be a great day, but I think we will be able to focus better on other things when this is over.

This past week we addressed and mailed the graduation announcements for our college graduates, Kevin and Dani. Next Saturday they both will be 'walking' at their respective convocation and commencement exercises.

Another complication to the wedding plans is my new job. I've been employed for the past week and a half. Being at work all day does make planning a little more difficult. Luckily Dani has been here and is doing most of the leg work. I do like my new position and think it will only get better as I learn the radiology CPT codes and understand the computer scheduling system better. Everyone I work with has been very patient and kind.

Finally, Dani took her Praxis test this morning. She has been studying long hours for it this week. When she came home this morning, she was tired but pretty confident that she passed. She hasn't heard how long before she hears about her results, but she will receive an email her when the tests are scored. So now its just wait-and-see time. Teach for America and the Master's Program at Johns Hopkins hinge on passing the Praxis.

Its been a long and busy week full of this and that.

Family

Last Saturday our friend, neighbor and talented photographer, Marjean Jolley took our family photos. The main reason for this is we have three (yes that is 3) graduates in May 2009 and we need senior photos. So we had her take family shots and individuals of the four kids (even though Cami isn't graduating she didn't want to be left out.) Today we picked from the proofs for the announcements (watch your mailboxes!). I'm going to borrow from Marjean's blog and post one of my favorites of the whole group.

I love these people and feel so blessed that they are my family. Isn't amazing you can have your favorite people in the world as your husband and children? I can't believe how lucky I am!

Employment

I've been looking for a job for a few months. Well, perhaps I shouldn't use the word 'looking' as much as hoping; but today I got a job! Back in November, December and January I was actively looking for work, but recently that had fallen off. I kept having the feeling if I was supposed to be working, a position would present itself to me and I shouldn't keep hitting the pavement (and my head against a wall) over a job.

Anyway, tomorrow I start as the front desk receptionist for The Ogden Imaging and Vein Center. It is the medical center next to Ogden Regional Hospital where they do MRI, CT Scans, Bone Density Tests, Mamograms, Ultrasounds, X-Rays, correct varicose veins, etc. I'm pretty excited about it today, hopefully I will still be excited after tomorrow.

He's Home!

Yep, its true. Elder Kelly Ahern is officially a return missionary. He is sunburned from the long, hot Uruguan summer he just left behind; but he is happy and healthy and he hugged Dani before he hugged his mom. Rob and I were a little worried about that, but he assured us that his Mission President told him he needed to hug Dani first because she had been such a great support to him while he was in Uruguay.

I took photos and will add them to this post tomorrow. Dani and Kelly are eating pizza now and she has the camera the pictures are on, so it will have to wait. But the long wait to have him home is over and we're so happy he's back!

Shortest Calling Ever

Two weeks ago Rob and I were called in to meet with our bishop. We were asked to serve as Ward Missionaries in our new Pleasant View 8th Ward. We happily accepted the calling and started studying the "Teach My Gospel" manual in anticipation of our responsibilities to teach ward members.

Last night when Rob and I returned home (Rob from work and I from a day of Utah State PTA Arts Panel Meetings) there was a message to return a call to our stake executive secretary. Rob phoned him and we were asked to meet with President Keller at 9:00 p.m. Both Rob and I assumed it would be regarding Kelly's return from Uruguay (DAY AFTER TOMORROW!) so we went to the stake offices and waited for our turn to meet with the president. When he had us in his office, he completely surprised us by extending a new stake calling to us and releasing us from our very recent ward calling. Stake Conference is this weekend and he said we would be sustained at the Sunday meeting. So our term as ward missionaries started and ended in two weeks with us failing to have a single experience in that calling. Hopefully, we will have more time and success in our new positions.

Left To Tell

If you've looked at my 'favorite book' listing you may have noticed a book entitled "Left to Tell" by Immaculee Ilibagiza. It is a most amazing story of a college-age young woman who survived the horrifying events that occurred during the Rwandan Holocaust in which the Hutu nearly decimated the entire Tutsis tribe. Nearly a million men, women and children were murdered in cold blood by their fellow countrymen, but what makes it so unbelievable is that this happened in 1994. The chilling events chronicled in this story are made beautiful by the fact that Immaculee found the sweetness of forgiveness, faith, and the love of God. I will forever be inspired by this book and I highly recommend it. (I own a copy if you'd like to borrow it.)